‘Mauritius? Hang on, zoom in… no, it must be Malta.’ I am showing friends a video of dolphins surfing the bow wave of my 10-metre sailing boat. The sky is a blazing strip of cornflower, the water an emerald ribbon sparkling in the sun. They are taking stabs at where I sailed with a super pod for two hours, convinced that I had voyaged into the Mediterranean or Indian Ocean. Actually, I was just three miles off the coast of Bognor Regis – a West Sussex town more famed for birthing Butlin’s than bottlenose dolphins.
That is the allure of sailing. When you cut ties from the digital maelstrom of modern life and view the world from the water, perspectives shift and nature steps in to reshape, restore and rewild. Suspended between the sea and sky, I watch starling murmurations punctuate a purple-shot sunset, hoist and haul sails before taking an afternoon dip, and gaze up at the celestial canopy that appears after dusk. Television cannot compete with the experience of carving through the water at the golden hour off the coast of Sardinia, or spotting seals surface in the Scottish swells like silk-clad dancers on a steel-blue stage.
Where once I would have struggled to pinpoint which way the wind was blowing, now I point out whitecaps, watching their whipped peaks rise like meringues as storm clouds gather. Nature has become my healer, my teacher and my clock – the tide a daily pendulum of sun-bleached buoys that mark morning, noon and night with comforting predictability.
In 1910, the French explorer Jacques Cousteau wrote, ‘The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.’ What he did not add was how it simultaneously strips you of life’s superfluous trimmings and traps. After all, to sail is to be free, present and humble, because no matter how big your boat is, you still have to wait for the wind.
Specialising in private luxury gulet cruises, Salamander Voyages has expanded its reach to Montenegro with the addition of White Swan – a beautiful refurbished yacht. From £22,715 for seven nights private charter for 14 guests. salamandervoyages.com
The best way to explore the British Virgin Islands is by water. Elegant Resorts offers three yachts, the largest sleeping 10. Drop anchor at peaceful beaches before exploring the livelier islands of Tortola and Virgin Gorda. From £6,110 per person, full board, for seven nights on a four-cabin catamaran including a skipper and a host, and all flights and transfers. elegantresorts.co.uk
Sail along the west coast of Scotland on the restored Danish gaff cutter Eda Frandsen. There is the option of a six- or a nine-night voyage – the former explores the sheltered waters of Skye and the Small Isles, while the latter ventures to remote areas of the Outer Hebrides only truly accessible by boat. From £1,100 for six nights. eda-frandsen.co.uk
